Farmer Flood Relief Fund

Farmer Flood Relief Fund Surpasses $500,000 in Assistance to Flood-Impacted Farms – June 15, 2026

When historic flooding impacted farms throughout King and Snohomish Counties in late 2025, many agricultural producers faced significant losses to crops, livestock infrastructure, equipment, fencing, access roads, and day-to-day operations. In response, Snoqualmie Valley Preservation Alliance partnered with community organizations, agencies, and donors to launch the Farmer Flood Relief Fund to help farms recover and rebuild.

Since opening applications earlier this year, the Farmer Flood Relief Fund has awarded more than $516,500 in direct assistance to 101 farms across King and Snohomish Counties, including 76 farms in King County and 25 farms in Snohomish County. Grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 have helped farmers repair damaged infrastructure, replace essential equipment, recover lost production, and address other flood-related impacts.

This effort has been made possible through an incredible partnership that includes King Conservation District, Seattle Foundation, SnoValley Tilth, Washington Farmland Trust, Snoqualmie Valley Food Coalition, Northwest Agriculture Business Center, Tilth Alliance, Neighborhood Farmers Markets, Community Food Co-op, and many generous individual donors. Together, these partners have helped ensure that critical recovery resources reach farms when they need them most.

The need for assistance has been substantial. In Snohomish County alone, funding requests far exceeded the resources initially available, leaving many qualified applicants unfunded despite documented flood-related losses.

We are excited to share that a recent $100,000 donation from a generous private donor will allow us to provide additional relief funding to Snohomish County farms that applied to the program but were not funded during the initial review round. This investment will help more farmers recover from flood impacts and continue producing food, stewarding the land, and contributing to the vitality of our local communities.

While recovery remains ongoing for many producers, the Farmer Flood Relief Fund demonstrates what is possible when communities come together in support of local agriculture.

We are deeply grateful to every donor, partner organization, volunteer reviewer, and supporter who has helped make this effort possible. Your generosity is making a meaningful difference in the lives and livelihoods of farmers across our region.

IMPORTANT UPDATE – March 4, 2026

We are pleased to share that funding remains available for King County farms, and the rolling application deadline has been extended to March 31, 2026 for eligible King County applicants. At this time, however, all currently available funding for Snohomish County farms has been fully allocated due to the high level of need following the December 2025 flooding. We are actively working with partners and donors to raise additional funds to support Snohomish County producers. For the time being, we are not accepting new applications from Snohomish County farms, but we hope to reopen applications if and when additional funding becomes available.

Farmer Flood Relief Fund Grant Applications – CLOSED

The Farmer Flood Relief Fund is now accepting applications. The first round of applications opens, January 16, 2026, and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Anticipated award decisions for the first round will be made by February 15, 2026. Applications will continue to be accepted through March 1, 2026, and may be extended if additional funding becomes available. This page will be updated regularly with information about upcoming award rounds, timelines, and available resources.

Information for Applicants

The Farmer Flood Relief Fund, administered by the Snoqualmie Valley Preservation Alliance (SVPA) in coordination with regional partners, is a one-time emergency relief program created in response to the December 2025 flooding. This fund provides rapid, short-term financial assistance to commercial farms in King County and Snohomish County that experienced flood-related impacts.

This program is designed to help farms fill early recovery gaps — such as cleanup, repairs, materials replacement, labor costs, and stabilization of operations — while waiting for insurance payments or larger state and federal assistance programs to mobilize. While this fund cannot make farms “whole,” it is intended to provide meaningful support during a critical window when cash flow is often most constrained.

Eligibility 

To be eligible for the Farmer Flood Relief Fund, applicants must:

• Be operating an agricultural farm or organized farming operation in King County or Snohomish County that produces food or agricultural products for sale, donation, or organized community distribution, and that experienced flood-related impacts from the December 2025 flooding.
• Eligible operations include commercial farms and farms growing food for CSAs, markets, wholesale, food banks, hunger relief organizations, or community distribution programs. Personal or household gardens are not eligible.

Multiple Funding Sources & Award Rounds

This relief effort is supported by multiple funding sources, including county public dollars and nonprofit and private contributions. At this time, more funding is currently available for farms in King County, as some funds are tied to local public funding requirements and must be allocated to King County farms only. However, funding is also available for Snohomish County farms, and SVPA is actively working with partners to continue raising additional resources to support recovery across the region.

Because funding is being raised on an ongoing basis, multiple rounds of awards are anticipated. If your application is not funded in the first round, it will continue to be considered in subsequent rounds as additional funds become available and needs are reassessed. A portion of funds will be reserved to help ensure equitable access for farms that may need more time to apply.

Grant Awards & Disbursement Structure

Grant awards are anticipated to range from $1,000 to $10,000, depending on severity of impact, urgency, vulnerability, and available funds.

• Awards of $5,000 or less will be disbursed in full upon award approval.
• Awards over $5,000 will be disbursed in two installments:
  • 75% paid upon award approval
  • 25% paid upon submission of closeout reporting

Closeout Reporting & Accountability

Closeout reporting will be expected within 120 days of receiving the initial award. Reporting will be light and flexible, and may include:

• A brief written summary of how funds were used
• An affidavit of use
• Receipts, photos, or other simple documentation

Applicants may submit closeout materials earlier than 120 days if they wish to receive the remaining 25% sooner. Requests for additional time will be considered on a case-by-case basis, recognizing that recovery timelines vary.

Please note that some follow-up reporting will be required. While SVPA aims to keep reporting requirements minimal, awardees may be asked to provide receipts or other documentation. We encourage applicants to keep track of all flood recovery–related expenses.

Important Guidance on Other Assistance Programs

This fund is supported primarily by county and nonprofit sources. However, some flood recovery activities may overlap with federal or other assistance programs.

Before using these funds, awardees are strongly encouraged to check with relevant agencies or insurers — such as USDA, Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), or private insurance providers — to ensure that the timing or use of funds will not affect eligibility for other programs.

In particular:

• Some federal programs do not allow work to begin until required reviews and approvals are completed
• Starting work early may result in disqualification from those programs
• Receiving this grant should not reduce federal payment rates, as long as
• funds are provided directly to the producer and not used to pay invoices on their behalf.

SVPA cannot provide eligibility determinations for other programs, but we are happy to help connect applicants to appropriate resources.

Application Process & Timeline

• Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis
• Multiple rounds of awards are anticipated
• A portion of funds will be reserved to support equitable access

This application is designed to be straightforward and should take 30 minutes or less to complete

We know this is a challenging time, and we appreciate you taking a moment to share information about your situation so we can support recovery efforts as fairly and effectively as possible.

Questions about the application process?

Contact Lauren Silver-Turner at lauren@svpa.us if you have questions or require more information.